New Europe

Acknowledgements

In many ways this was the most complicated series we've done and relied on the generous help of friends in twenty different countries. Some are mentioned in the book already, but there are many unsung heroes who worked behind the scenes. So a big thank you to Vanda Vucicevic, Sandra Ovcina, Ardi Pulaj, Riina Sepp, Divs Reiznieks, Darius Ross, Olga Danilova, Gyorgy Paraszkay, Igor Khmarsky, Witold and Basia Starecka, Mira Staleva, Maya Vitkova, Jordan Topkoski. Tatiana Tibuleac, Olga Maxim, Ioana Abur, Bogdan Stefanescu, Bogdan Petrovic, Funda Odemis, Selen Korkut, Jano Gordullic, Michael Havas, Ondrej Strejceck and Tamsin Walker.

At Weidenfeld and Nicolson, I must thank my editor, Michael Dover, for keeping a cool head and guiding me through an uncompromising timetable with his usual good grace and good humour and David Rowley for conjuring up such a handsome book, against the clock as usual. Thanks to Linden Lawson, my copy editor for ploughing through a minefield of fine detail, to Justin Hunt for helping to pull the book together, and Angela Martin and Katie Hambly for alerting the world to its existence.

Special thanks to photographer, friend and foodie Basil Pao for continuing to be the best in the business and for showing how enticing, intriguing and downright good-looking Eastern Europe can be.